I’ve been relishing the beautiful weather we’ve had in Chicago over the last 2 weeks and have continued to take advantage of it with a few more engagement sessions before wedding season gets into full swing.

This last session was particularly special because I got to photograph a close friend of mine. Kristen’s been a good friend ever since high school, and in being a good friend, there’s a protective side of me that’s come out whenever a guy was in the picture. However, as I’ve gotten to know Jason, all protective instincts were quickly put to rest as I’ve learned that he’s about as quality as they come. In the few chances I’ve had to spend time with the two of them, I’ve witnessed the depth of love and care for each other. I’ve been impressed by their companionship, and as evidenced by the images below, they just have fun together… and laugh, a lot.

I’m so honored to be capturing their wedding in the fall at Columbus Park Refectory. Kristen and Jason, so happy for the two of you and excited to be a part of your big day!

Couldn’t wait to share a few of the images captured from Kristen and Jason’s engagement session last week.

Many more to come but for now, enjoy!

The natural lull in the wedding season that the Midwest winter’s provide always allows some much appreciated time to get recharged creatively. Coming off the cusp of that, I can honestly say that I’m entering this wedding season the most inspired that I ever had. For that I am grateful.

Before wedding season gets full swing, I’ve had the opportunity to shoot the engagement sessions of many of the couples I will be working with later this summer and fall. A couple of weeks back, I had the privilege of doing just this with Kelly and Bill. We had an amazing time exploring the lakefront at Belmont Harbor and North Avenue Beach and it was so much fun getting to know them better before their wedding. Can’t wait to capture their wedding day in just over a month!

These two. What an incredible time we had capturing their engagement around the Fulton Market District of Chicago last week. The shoot came just a day after they got engaged and the freshness of their excitement is so tangible in all of their images. The torrential downpour of rain could have deterred the shoot, but instead it added to the fun and character of the images we captured. As you can see, Bethany and John were amazing sports in the wet and cold and made for some of my favorite shots of the session.

I’ve had the privilege of capturing the love between friends in a number of different shoots lately. It definitely adds a special dynamic knowing a bit of the story behind their relationship. Bethany and John, so excited for the two of you and honored that you asked me to capture the love between the two of you!

As I’ve planned on posting some of last year’s weddings, I’ve been so excited to share Tracy and Mark’s Chicago wedding at Gallery 1028 from last summer. As I’ve prepped this post I’ve been reminded of just how incredible of a day it was. All of the character and life that embodied Tracy and Mark’s wedding, made it so much fun to capture.

Tracy and the girls started getting ready Tsubo Salon before we met up with Mark near the Laurie Gardens of Millennium Park for the first look and bridal portraits. There the bridal party met up with us and we explored some of the many beautiful photo locations around Chicago via trolly. We then traveled over to Gallery 1028 for both the ceremony and reception.

I absolutely love shooting at Chicago’s wedding loft venues, and Gallery 1028 is by far one of my favorites. Gallery 1028 has so much character and, in many ways, it’s a blank canvas of beautiful distressed wood and white-washed walls. Tracy and Mark did such an amazing job styling this space.

Tracy and Mark, though months have passed, I am still so grateful and honored that you chose me to capture your wedding day!

(As always, it was amazing have the very talented, Maggie Fortson along-side me helping capture the day.)

After this last weekend, the unbearable days of snow and cold in Chicago seem to be behind us. It’s been a great winter, but I can’t say I’m sad to see those days pass, and gladly welcome the warmth, the green, the driving with my windows down, and the summer days on the lake that await.

However, back when winter was upon us, I had the opportunity to shoot Meghan and Mike’s engagement session in Chicago. If you can’t tell, they just have fun together, and Mike has an uncanny ability to make Meghan laugh. I had such a great time getting to know them as we explored some of the charactered spots in Wrigleyville and Lakeview. We even got caught in a light snow storm towards the end that made for some fun shots. I’m honored to be capturing their wedding this summer at the Chicago Botanic Gardens!

Back in January, I had the privilege of capturing Kristin and Zach’s wedding at the Patrick C. Hailey Mansion in Joliet. It doesn’t take long with Kristin and Zach to realize how special of a couple they are. With starting married life together, they moved to Kentucky to serve at a church in Lexington and it was amazing to witness how many lives they have already touched with stories from their bridal party, families, and guests. This coupled with the high respect given to the commitment that they were making that day made it a really special day to be a part of.

The entire day was incredible and the Patrick C. Hailey Mansion was such a perfect venue for a winter wedding (and any season for that matter). Even though it was a bitter 20 degrees outside, the mansion offered so many amazing spots for indoor shots.

I was grateful to have the talented Maggie Fortson helping me capture all of the special moments of Kristin and Zach’s day. Kristin and Zach, I couldn’t be happier for you guys and was so honored to have been part of your day!

Love these few detail images that Maggie captured.

Maggie captured these two great moments of Zach on the dance floor.

Wow, it has been a while! Months of travel for documentary projects, video shoots, and weddings has prevented me from keeping up with my blog. It has been an incredible last 6 months, but unfortunately, in the midst of it all my blog has suffered for a bit… and now the time has come to resurrect it. I have a slew of weddings and engagements that I’m excited to share.

And what better way to kick it off with Fabien and Elise’s Chicago engagement! The love that Fabien and Elise have for each other made their engagement session so much fun to capture. As I was editing their images, countless times just seeing how much they enjoy being together brought a smile to my face.

I had such a great time getting to know the two of them as we braved the cold exploring Chicago together and I couldn’t be more excited to be photographing their wedding next summer at the University of Chicago and the Nineteenth Century Club.

I had the privilege of photographing Jaya and Luke’s Cafe Brauer wedding earlier this summer and the entire day was incredible. Jaya and Luke were so much fun to work with and it’s couples like them that make me love what I do. Their family and friends brought so much joy and excitement to the day and I loved getting to know them in the process as well.

We began the day downtown where both Jaya and Luke got ready with their bridal parties before we walked over to St. James Cathedral for the ceremony. After the ceremony and photographing the bridal party around some of the picturesque spots in Chicago went over to Cafe Brauer in Lincoln Park for additional pictures before the reception. There are many things that I love about Cafe Brauer. In addition to the fact that it’s on of the most beautiful and unique venues in the city, being situated right in Lincoln Park provides countless amazing locations for pictures.

Jaya and Luke, thank you so much for the honor of capturing your day! So happy for you guys!

I have been anxious to share Kelly and Brian’s wedding ever since shooting it a couple of months back. It’s always special for me when I get to work with friends on their wedding day. This was the case with Kelly and Brian. Kelly was actually the first person I met at the church I attend in the city and quickly became a good friend and I’ve gotten to know Brian since then as well. For those that know them, they are some of the most genuine and kindhearted people you’ll meet. And they also both exude joy and this was so evident on their wedding day.

This joy that spilled into all aspects of their wedding day, made capturing it such an amazing experience. I had such a great time working with their bridal party and families as well. In fact, their bridal party’s enthusiasm single handled renewed my faith in jumping shots.

Kelly and Brian, I’m so happy for you guys! Thank you for giving me the honor of being a part of such a special day in your lives!